Verse 2.31
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
स्वधर्ममपि चावेक्ष्य न विकम्पितुमर्हसि। धर्म्याद्धि युद्धाच्छ्रेयोऽन्यत्क्षत्रियस्य न विद्यते॥
Transliteration (IAST)
sva-dharmam api cāvekṣya na vikampitum arhasi dharmyād dhi yuddhāc chreyo 'nyat kṣatriyasya na vidyate
Word-by-Word Meanings
sva-dharmam-one's own duty
avekṣya-considering
na vikampitum-not to waver
dharmyāt-righteous
kṣatriyasya-for a warrior
Translation
Considering your own duty as a warrior, you should not waver. For a kshatriya, there is nothing more auspicious than a righteous war.
Commentary
Krishna shifts from metaphysical arguments to the argument from svadharma (one's own duty). As a kshatriya, Arjuna's dharma is to fight for righteousness. This introduces the concept that each person has a specific role to fulfill, and abandoning it leads to spiritual decline.
Themes
dharmadutykarma